Skip to main content

tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  December 23, 2011 1:00pm-3:00pm EST

1:00 pm
as well and the president's had to deal with this throughout his presidency the past couple years, of course at a time of tough economic times. it is important, yes, we understand the president needs a break and he goes out and does things with his family, plays a little golf, but the optics of that is always -- are always in play. >> and i remember when i was a white house correspondent going out to hawaii, i had a tough assignment on a few occasions when then president bill clinton went out there for his vacation with the first lady, hillary clinton, daughter chelsea, and i remember covering that and a lot of the photographers would always try to get a shot of them swimming with their bathing suits on. it is one of the aspects when you're president of the united states, first lady, i'm sure, that will happen this time as well. we've already seen the president swimming over the years. but it is just the nature of the beast. he deserves a few days off, like all of us. he's going to have some time to relax with his family. this is a good time for him to reflect in hawaii. it is not just where he grew up.
1:01 pm
let's not forget he was born, t.j., in hawaii. even though there was a controversy, a at least maybe some people still believe he wasn't born in hawaii. but he was born in hawaii. he's got a lot of old friends there. he deserves some time off. he's got a lot going on. but even as he's on vacation, every president is never completely on vacation. he'll have national security advisors with him. right now there's a crisis. there are plenty of international crises under way. north korea arguably one of the most dangerous spots on earth rye now with the death of the so-called dear leader, kim jong-il, the succession of his young untested son in his late 20s, kim jung un. tension on the korean peninsula very, very real right now. tension in iraq. we saw a wave of terrorist activities going on yesterday. tension in syria. pakistan. afghanistan. we saw what's going on in egypt. the violence against women in
1:02 pm
egypt that's brutal right now. so this is a president that even though he'll have a little time to relax, he's going to be on top of the situation, he's going to be briefed on a daily basis. so when you're president of the united states you can never really completely get away from your responsibilities as the commander in chief. he appreciates this. every president does, no matter where they go. >> what has this -- again to our viewers, just crossing over the top of the hour waiting for the president at any moment. they're a little behind schedule. he may be doing some business, has a couple things to sign before he comes out. but wolf, this legislative year, this congress, how is this going to go down now and they end it on another low note, i guess you could possibly say. but there have been a lot of low notes. we were taken to the brink of government shutdown time after time after time again this year. some of the fights and back-and-forth. we've unfortunately become accustomed to. >> and the raising the nation's
1:03 pm
debt ceiling, that was a bitter, bitter fight as all of our viewers recall. in the end they did it and they raised it through 2012 until after the election. but it was so bitter, so acrimonious, it resulted in the first ever downgrading of america's credit worthiness. the credit rating of the united states went down, meaning interest rates will slightly go up, having a negative spillover on the economic growth, on the economy. and that was indicative of this congress which was not very productive, didn't really move forward on a whole lot of important issues. there was a moment a lot of people thought 2011, the year before an election year, there would be a chance to really get some substantive work done. there were some issues on the sidelines, some marginal issues but not a whole lot. merely reinforcing the public's generally negative attitude
1:04 pm
toward congress, 16% approve of the way congress does its job. i've asked this question before -- who are those 16 people who actually approve of the way congress does its job? because the overwhelming majority of the american public -- including i suspect most members of congress, they don't approve of the way congress does its job. it's sort of dysfunctional right now and let's hope it can get better. >> those 16 people. maybe they didn't hear the question clearly when it was being asked of them, wolf. to remind our viewers, we've been watching this for several weeks, we knew this fight was coming about this payroll tax cut extension. many of us would have seen our paychecks go up roughly $40 every pay period if they did not extend. . we heard, wolf, for week a certaint tone from speaker boehner about what was going to happen, they were holding firm to the one-year extension. but listen to him from last night, a much different speaker
1:05 pm
boehner. >> we have fought the fight, the good fight. but you know, i talked to enough members of the -- over the last 24 hours who believe that, hey, listen, we don't like this two-month extension, we don't like this reporting problem in the senate bill, and if you can get this fixed, why not -- why not do the right thing for the american people, even though it is not exactly what we want. >> seems that everything we've done this last year has been a knock-down drag-out fight. there is no reason to do that. and if there were a message received from this last thing we've been through, i would hope -- especially i repeat -- the new members of the house will understand that legislation is the art of compromise. >> as we continue to watch that podium, i want to bring in kate bolduan up on capitol hill for us. kate, i'm sure you heard that sound bite from speaker boehner and i'm sure you've been -- you heard it last night as well.
1:06 pm
but he sounded a lot different than from you have been hearing from him the past several days. he was defiant, even energetic at times last night. he sounded like a man defeated. >> did he not sound like the happy warrior, as he often says, when there's a lot going on and everyone's asking where do things stand, speaker boehner. he always says i'm a happy warrior. did he not look like that happy warrior last night. it has been a pretty tough slog for speaker boehner over the past week. we don't often see such quick reversals like we have seen -- such stark reversals as we have seen this week. back on tuesday -- this is when the house rejected an almost identical bill to what they eventually signed on to this morning. what was the change? well, house speaker boehner last night said that of after a lot of consideration and a lot of talk with his members, they said if you kind of sweeten up this deal with this technical fix,
1:07 pm
then we can sign on to it. but let me put it this way. if this technical fix was the thing that was holding up this prom compromise, this deal this entire time, we would have heard a lot more about it and it probably would not have been held up this long. bottom line, speaker boehner, republicans, they are opposed to this two-month extension. there is a wave election with this house freshman republican class. you heard from one of them a short time ago when you interviewed them. they came in, say they were elected to change the way washington works. one of those things is they say to stop kicking the can down the road, stop pushing off tough decisions. but that doesn't always jibe with the fact that there is a republican majority in the house right now, a democratic majority in the senate and there is a democrat in the white house so this art of compromise that we also heard from the top democrat in the senate today, harry reid, that does not always jibe with the desire to change how washington works. you're kind of seeing those two things butt heads at the moment and have on all of these major issues where there is a large
1:08 pm
big, a very vocal and now we can say rebellious part of the house republican conference who are standing up and saying this is what we were elected for and what you saw last night is speaker boehner basically saying it's great but we need to move on because we're threatening to be labeled as allowing a tax inease to occur which is not what any republican wants to be labeled going into an election year. >> kate, as we continue to wait on the president, one other point you brought up -- and the freshman representative i was speaking to, he seemed to back off a little bit but he said i would have gone to the floor, i'd have been the one to object to this two-month extension. that's all it would have taken to derail this thing but he says he couldn't find a flight that worked out. i asked him specifically, he came back and said, you know, maybe. he seemed to back off it a little bit. so did you hear much talk around capitol hill? were they nervous that one member would show up and object? >> it was not a done deal that
1:09 pm
one member wouldn't show up, let me put it that way. at a press conference last night when speaker boehner said we've got a deal, he was asked specifically about that and he said -- he said if someone would object, i think is how he went about it, he would absolutely bring it back up for a full house vote which would require that all house members come back next week. ill he say from our perspective we were definitely keeping our eye out there because this has been a very unpredictable fight back and for the with this battle, especially with that revolt that we had learned about over the weekend when house republicans set on a conference call with house speaker boehner and other leaders we're not going for the senate deal, this two-month deal which we now know they eventually signed on to. but what maybe seems like happened is speaker boehner said we know your opinions, we've taken the temperature, we know where you stand but the reality is that we are losing here and we're taking a beating politically and we need to just -- as the "wall street
1:10 pm
journal" editorial even put it, cut your losses and move on. it seems while we did hear from hu huelskamp, other members of penn say they considered doing that, but clearly in the end no one came to the floor to object. >> kate bolduan for us there, thank you. standing by for president obama at me momeany moment. at me momeany moment. stay with us. gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. you had me at "probiotic." everyone believes in keeping their promises once a year. but we believe in helping people take steps to keep them every single day.
1:11 pm
that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow. i took some steep risks in my teens. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. it's backed by over 19 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems.
1:12 pm
tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. [ man ] still love that wind in my face! talk to your doctor. don't kid yourself about the risk of heart attack and stroke. if lipitor's been working for you, stay with it. lipitor may be available for as little as $4 a month with the lipitor co-pay card. terms and conditions apply. learn more at lipitorforyou.com.
1:13 pm
hello, everyone. i'm natalie allen in for randi kaye. again we are waiting to hear from president obama. we expect him to be stepping out at any moment to comment on the tax cut deal and we'll take you there when it happens. let's get right to the news. can you rest easy about your paychecks, taxes and benefits at least for the next two months. president obama set to speak about the payroll tax cut. that's because congress finally passed a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut after an ugly political standoff. this basically means the average person will get to keep $40 a paycheck rather than pay that much more in taxes. it also extend emergency unemployment benefits and delays scheduled pay cuts to doctors who treat medicare patients. congress immediately sent the extension to the president for his signature but there's now the issue of extending those benefits for a full year. the senate has agreed to appoint a conference committee to hammer
1:14 pm
that out with the house after the new year. once he's done in washington the president is heading off to hawaii where he was born and raised. he is expected to leave at around 1:30 if he finishes his business by then. as you know, the political stalemate over the payroll tax cut delayed his christmas vacation for nearly a week. first lady michelle obama and his daughters have been in hawaii since late last week. the president and his family plan to stay until early january. this was the terrifying scene in syria's capital today. two suicide bombs explode outside security offices in damascus. according to the state run media, the syrian government is blaming the attacks on terrorists, while opposition forces blame bashar al assad's regime. officials say at least 30 people were killed. u.s. has denounced the bombings. the attacks come as a team from the arab league arrived in syria to monitor the violence and
1:15 pm
prevent human rights abuses. another mass rally against the egyptian military in cairo's tahrir square. they are expressing outrage over the recent savage beating of female protesters and the killing of at least 16 other demonstrators. the latest military crackdown on protesters started last saturday. the military has expressed great regret over the beating of the women protesters, but has not apologized. protesters today also demanded that the military give up power. in another part of the city, thousands of people turned out for what was described as a pro-military rally. in the czech republic, a funeral for the former president, havel. former dignitaries attending included bill clinton, his wife
1:16 pm
secretary of state hillary clinton, french president nicolas sarcozy and british prime minister david cameron. havel died sunday. he was 75. in cries churhrist church, zealand, when the shaking began, it felt all too familiar. workers in this office dropped to the floor and across christ church people raced for cover as a series of powerful earthquakes rocked the city. the first 5.8 magnitude quake hit at about 2:00 p.m. local time rattling even the more quake-experienced kiwis. >> pretty freaky. >> quite scary, yeah. watch the kreceiling making sur nothing's going to come down. >> this time just a few injuries roared, but the tremor stirred painful memories of feb's
1:17 pm
devastade6.3 earthquake when 181 people died. debris scattered across the streets of north georgia after storms set off tornado warning sirens thursday. straight line winds are blamed for damaging several buildings and homes near atlanta. downed trees meant power outages forced thousands and heavy snowfall in the rockies made freeze holiday travel. 14 inches of snow fell around denver thursday. anyone outside had to be sure to have on a heavy coat. interstate travel was difficult. for some just getting to the interstate was a challenge. >> is there a car under there? >> i didn't recognize a car when we first walk out. >> my ice scraper is like this big. i had to just start using my arms to shovel my car out. >> sounds like fun. high wind and snow also spelling trouble at airports. delays being reported in several
1:18 pm
metro areas. but with more than 43 million people expected to fly around this time of the year, passengers are already prepared. >> it's been fine so far. we got in fine. it's been good so far. >> i expected it but i also heard on the news like flights are down 10%, people aren't flying that much this holiday season. it is not crowded at all so it is great. >> good news there. sounds like best buy is having a good year but that might mean a bad christmas morning for some customers. the electronics retailers had to cancel some online order after the company ran out of popular merchandise. the canceled orders date back to the weekend after thanksgiving when best buy stepped up discounts to compete with other retailers. this is what three men aboard a sigh soyuz saw outside their space station window. the craft is carrying three
1:19 pm
astronauts, a russian and an american and one from the european space agency. they took astronauts to the station after the u.s. retired its space shuttle fleet earlier this year. in just a few minutes, we expect the astronauts to pop the hatch and get treated to a special l holiday welcoming ceremony. hopefully they brought them presents. it is a story that will give you chills. imagine spending 25 years in prison for a murder you did not commit. that's what happened to this man. michael morton. wrongly convicted of killing his wife. now there are allegations that key evidence was withheld from his trial and one man is on a crusade to find out what happened to it and why it wasn't brought forth. we will talk with with him next. but first, sure, maybe you didn't get that pony when you were 8, but santa claus has a tough job. while norad's twitter feed says movement has been detected, we're happy to report at north
1:20 pm
pole airport his helpers are already out in full force. like the elves that put together alaska airlines flight 1225, aka, santa one, where 60 disadvantaged kids flew to visit santa at the north pole. to seoul, kshsouth korea, h helpers delivered gifts to poor children who may be hearing of santa for the first time. to thailand where some of the largest helpers ever helped bring in christmas spirit. our rock stars today then, all of santa's helpers -- and not just because i want a new ipad, but santa, that would be nice. ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪
1:21 pm
that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow. hey, hey, hey, hey. i can see who's on my network people! lance? lance? yes, yes you are next. all right. dave, i'm in. ♪ katie! what are you doing, sweetheart? supplementing my allowance. how long have we been gone? [ male announcer ] get low prices on the latest 4g phones, starting at $28.88. save money. live better. walmart.
1:22 pm
1:23 pm
we've been standing by to hear from president obama on the payroll tax cut plan and we hear he is about to step out so let's take it over to our cnn's wolf blitzer who can take us into it. wolf. >> natalie, thanks very much. let me just set the scene for viewers who are just tuning in right now. house of representatives and the senate earlier that, within a matter of minutes, passed legislation formally authorizing at least for the next two months
1:24 pm
the continuation of the payroll tax cut. that affects 160 million americans. if you make about $50,000 a year, you're going to save $1,000 this coming year. if you make $75,000 a year, you'll save around $1,500. the president had wanted a one-year extension but everyone compromised two months during the next two months, they'll have a chance, house and senate conferrees, members, to work out an extension for the rest of the year. tame, nearly 3 million unemployed americans will continue receiving their benefits. they would have expired december 31st if this legislation were not passed. and a lot of doctors who work with medicare recipients out there, patients, they'll continue to get full funding, full payment, for their work as medicare doctors and that was included in the legislation. the president is going to come out and make a statement thanking congress for doing this, presumably they've sent the legislation to the oval office. i assume we were waiting for him
1:25 pm
because he wanted to sign it into law, be able to tell the american people he signed it into law. once he does make that statement he'll go into some other issues presumably as well. then he'll get ready to head out of washington, go out to the south lawn of the white house, take marine one over to aandrewr force base -- here's the president. >> i know you are all looking forward to spending time with your families over the holidays, but we did have one last piece of business to finish up. i said it was critical for congress not to go home without preventing a tax increase on 160 million working americans and i'm pleased to say that they've got it done. so i want to thank all the members of congress for ending the stalemate and making this happen. because of this agreement, every working american will keep their tax cut, about $1,000 for a typical family, and that's -- translates into an extra $40 or
1:26 pm
so in every paycheck. vital unemployment insurance will continue for millions of americans who are looking for work. and when congress returns, i urge them to keep working without drama, without delay, to reach an agreement that extends this tax cut as well as unemployment insurance through all of 2012. last week i said that this should be a formality and that's still the case. so let's make sure that we extend the tax break and unemployment insurance for a full year for our families but also for our economy. it is the right thing to do because more money spent by more americans means more business hiring more workers and that's a boost for everybody. and it is a boost that we very much need right now. finally, i want to take a moment to thank my fellow americans for bringing their voices to this debate. i met with several here at the
1:27 pm
white house yesterday. i really think it takes courage to believe that your voice can make a difference, and i promise you, the american people, your voices made a difference on this debate. whether you tweeted or called or wrote, you reminded people in this town what this debate and what all of our debates should be about. it's about you. it's about your lives. it's about your families. you didn't send us to this town to play partisan games and to see who's up and who's down. ep sent us here to serve an make your lives a little bit better to do what's right and, fortunately, that's how this week ended. so this is some good news just in the nick of time for the holidays. i do want to be clear though, we have a lot more work to do. this continues to be a make or break moment for the middle class in this country and we're going to have to roll up our sleeves to the, democrats and republicans, to make sure that the economy is growing and to
1:28 pm
make sure that more jobs are created. we've got an economy that is showing some positive signs. we've seen many consecutive months of private sector job growth, but it is not happening as fast as it needs to, and that means that we've got to redouble our efforts working together. it also means that we've got to make sure we're building an economy where if you work hard that work will be rewarded. the kind of economy where everyone's doing their fair share and everybody plays by the same set of rules. everybody has a fair chance and everybody's acting responsibly, including those of us here in washington. so there are going to be some important debates next year, some tough fights in the years to come, but that's the kind of country that i'm fighting for, one where everybody has a fair chance and everybody is doing their fair share. that's the kind of country that i think the american people deserve, and the kind of country
1:29 pm
that american people want. so i want to wish everybody a merry christmas, happy holidays, a happy new year to you and your families, that includes everybody here in the press corps. i know you guys have been working hard and your families will be happy to spend a little more time with you over the next few days. i also want to make sure to send the warmest holiday wishes to all the men and women in uniform who are serving overseas right now an may not have a chance to see their families during this holiday season. we are grateful for everything that you do. all right? thank you, guys. aloha. >> are you concerned about iraq, sir? >> mr. president, happy new year, sir! >> so there's the president of the united states quickly leaving the briefing room without answering reporters' questions. you heard one question being shouted, are you concerned about iraq. i'm sure he is very concerned about what's going on in iraq right now within days of all u.s. forces. it looks like the situation over there is quickly unraveling. the president saying we have a
1:30 pm
lot more work to do after the new year. that's an understatement. there will be an enormous amount of work to do to try to improve the economy, create jobs. that will be the primary focus of this president. there's no doubt about that but there are many international crises out there which are hovering over his agenda as well. kate bolduan is our congressional correspondent. kate, i take it by now that the house and the senate, they move very quickly, within minutes to pass this legislation extending tax cuts for another two months, hoping it will continue into -- well into the entire year. everyone in congress getting out of town, i assume. >> i assume at this point. i'm probably one of the few people still here in the capitol other than probably some other staffers that are trying to wrap up their work for the year, wolf. with those -- with the brief moments we saw in both the house and the senate this morning, they really wrapped up their work and congress will return in mid-january to pick back up right where we left off here, predictably with this fight.
1:31 pm
you heard president obama say when you return to work, get to work without drama, without delay. that might be a tal order considering how contentious this battle has been to this point and the fact we're entering an election year. while both sides have talked about the need for compromise and for a less partisan atmosphere, it is likely that this fight over the payroll tax cut considering that it expires this short-term extension expires at the end of february, we'll be picking up with another battle ahead on how -- if, how and how to pay for a further extension as the president called for and really leaders on both sides of the aisle, wolf, are all calling for a full-year extension but how to get there, how to thread that needle is always the major question up here on capitol hill, wolf. >> we'll have a lot of opportunity to discuss it at the end of february. we'll see how they work that out. jessica yellin is our chief white house correspondent. jessica, you're in the briefing room right now over there. the president wasn't gloating or
1:32 pm
anything. he was basically just giving us the facts as they are right now. there's a lot of work that needs to be done. the economy is still in an anemic situation. if he's going to get himself re-elected he's got to show the american public that at least things are moving in the right direction. >> that's right. and there were two key moment that i point to in that statement, wolf. one was when he pointed out that so many american people had written in to the white house. now this seems like a sort of almost trite thing that most white houses do but it was a point in his comments when the president stopped looking around the briefing room and he made a point of turning to the cameras at the back of the room and looked directly into the cameras as if he were speaking directly to the american people and said you are the people who have contributed to making a difference. this was the candidate obama we saw in 2008 when he addressed the voters, the regular folks who said you make up the movement that can make a difference in washington that
1:33 pm
can change america and that can change our future. and it sounded like he was once again sounding the themes of that 2008 campaign that i suspect we'll hear from him again in 2012 saying again sort of you, the people, can make a difference in washington. and we saw that start again in their campaign to get this payroll tax cut done and through by persuading american people to lend their voices to the effort. the second part was when he said this is a make or break moment for the middle class in this nation, and that was a line direct from his kansas city speech when he laid out his sort of philosophical vision for the economy where everybody gets a fair shake. so we're hearing again that theme we're going to hear through 2012 that he is trying to position himself as a champion for working americans. and you heard that here from him again today, wolf. >> i assume in the coming year we'll see a lot more passion and
1:34 pm
excitement from the president. jessica will join me later today in "the situation room." jessica, thanks very much. i'll be back at 4:00 p.m. eastern for a full hour of the situation room. this programming note -- a special situation room, reporters notebook, my six days in north korea, airs today at 5:00 p.m. eastern. a rare inside look into north korea this coming at a very tense time following the death of kim jong-il. 5:00 p.m., "six days in north korea." until then, thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in washington. the "newsroom" continues with natalie allen right after this. the next phase was going to be, you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪
1:35 pm
easy. name some things that aren't on your list. jumper cables, camo anything, a power drill -- ooh! [ male announcer ] the only place to go for every guy on your christmas list with great deals throughout the store. walmart. [ younger brother ] oh, do you want it? yeah. ok, we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light... ...buttery and flaky... this is half. that is not half. guys i have more. [ female announcer ] do you have enough crescents?
1:36 pm
imagine being locked up for 25 years for killing your
1:37 pm
spouse. sitting in your cell, things like dinner at restaurants, ball games, family holidays, that's all over. and if you're this man, michael morton, in prison since 1987, you never got to watch your son grow up into a man. >> i lost all of my son's youth. he's 28 now. that's all gone. >> in october, a judge freed morton after dna evidence proved he didn't do it. monday they made it official. but the story doesn't end there. morton's lawyers want a hearing to investigate whether the prosecutor broke the law by withholding evidence that could have handed morton an acquittal 25 years ago. the innocence project barry scheck has been on this case since the very start. barry, what sort of evidence do you believe the prosecutor held back? >> well, i think there is probable cause to believe that this prosecutor, ken anderson, who's now a sitting judge in williamson county, held back in
1:38 pm
defiance of a direct court or evidence that the victim in this case, christine morton, that her credit card was used two days after her murder in san antonio, that a check was cashed in a forgery nine days after her murder. there was a report from a neighbor that there was a man that was on several occasions pulling behind the morton's house and a suspicious man getting out and looking at it, consistent with casing the place for the burglary, and worst of all, that michael's 3 1/2-year-old son had told his maternal grandmother that he had seen a monster with red gloves hurt mommy. and when the grandmother asked was daddy there, he said no, daddy wasn't there. now, what makes that so important is this is evidence that there was a burglar who
1:39 pm
came into the home after michael went and -- to work that morning, found his wife there, and in the course of the burglary bludgeoned her to death. >> when you discovered this evidence, what happened then, evidence that could have perhaps -- he could have used very well in his defense? >> well, we discovered this 25 years later and what makes it most troubling is that in our judgment, the trial court had specifically ordered this prosecutor to turn over the file of the lead investigator for review to see if there was any exculpatory evidence there. and when 25 years later we opened up the sealed envelope that was supposed to contain all the police reports and would have contain all this exculpatory evidence, the exculpatory evidence was in there. it was never disclosed. >> you are going after the prosecutor now. what could happen to him?
1:40 pm
>> what we have asked the new judge to do here is make a finding that there's probable cause to believe that this former prosecutor, now judge, was in contempt of court and also concealed illegally documents that should have been disclosed and if he makes that probable cause finding, it's then sent up to the chief judge probably of the texas supreme court who may in turn at that point bind him over for a trial essentially. >> so you're not only going after him, you're also looking for a change in the law so this can't happen again, systemic change to push for an open file law. tell us about that. >> yes. we made a series of recommendations that we hope the texas legislation will take up, legislation backed by the american bar association and lots of other prosecutors across the country to really try to solve this problem of suppression of exculpatory
1:41 pm
evidence, so things like open file discovery. why shouldn't there be an opportunity for the defense to see the entire file and if prosecutors have a problem where a witness might be in danger or there's some real reason to believe a defendant may suborn perjury, then can you time that disclosure to the eve of trial. we want to have conferences where the judge sits with the parties and says, okay, has everybody turned over what they're supposed to turn over? here's a checklist. did you ask all the right questions of all the right people, do we have everything. and then everybody is under a court order. two apply to the defense lawyer, too, for what the defense lawyer has to disclose. and then if it's found out years later that the disclosure wasn't done, then you really have a court order where everybody can be held in contempt and disciplined. we also want to have the specific ethical requirement that post conviction, prosecutors turn over evidence that can demonstrate somebody's
1:42 pm
innocent. we only have that in four states, even though the american bar association has recommended that every state do it. >> well, we thank you for the information and we'll say keep everyone posted on the developments. i'm sure mr. morton is looking forward to a very joyous holiday with his grown son now. barry scheck, thank you so much for joining us. just ahead here, the man who says president obama is completely destroying civil liberties and the presidential candidate who could benefit from it. stay with us. every single day. that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow.
1:43 pm
♪ [ female announcer ] light up your season with a brighter, whiter smile. with crest 3d white professional effects whitestrips. it penetrates below the enamel surface to whiten as well as a $500 dentist treatment.
1:44 pm
the secret's in the strip. for a smile that's sure to stand out. crest 3d white professional effects whitestrips. use these products together for a whiter smile in 1 day. life opens up when you do. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of a pain free holiday. ♪ this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills. for weeks president obama vowed to veto the national defense authorization act of 2012. he expressed grave concern over
1:45 pm
several disputed provisions in the measure that was passed by both the house and senate. the white house says changes were made that removed those concerns and that the president will now sign the measure. civil liberties groups are outraged. here are some of their concerns. under the act the government may detain, without trial, suspected members of al qaeda or its allies. officials would be required to hold non-citizens suspected of being tied to operatives in military custody. the attorney general must be able to confer with military agencies before charging suspects in civilian court. one of the most outspoken critics of the measure and president obama's decision to sign it is constitutional law expert jonathan turley. he's written extensibilively ab it on his blog. thank you for coming on the program, jonathan. first of all, the president says he's satisfied with the changes but you aren't.
1:46 pm
why? >> well, i don't know any civil libertarians who are. i mean this has taken a level of distrust and anger from the civil liberties community towards the president to an all new level. this is not the first time the president has broken promises that he has made, but this is a real shocking development. i mean he has claimed that the legislation was changed to satisfaction. but we found out from senator karl levin it was actually the president and his staff that asked for citizens to be subject to indefinite detention. that was never explained to the citizen. the white house is claiming that the president was upset about a provision that senator levin said the white house actually put in to the law. and the change he's talking about is facially ridiculous. that is the key amendment that would have protect the citizens from indefinite detention was defeated by both democrats and republicans. what was put in there was
1:47 pm
meaningless language that the indefinite detention of individuals shouldn't be contrary to u.s. law. well, this is a president who recently said that he has the unilateral authority to kill u.s. citizens anywhere in the world without any court order, without any authorization except his own inherent power. so you can imagine what the interpretation is of the current law. of course, they believe they can detain citizens indefinitely. they believe that they can kill citizens. >> well siill signing the act politically damage the president in next year's election, do you think? >> you know, we talked about this on my blog. it is a large civil liberties blog. there's some really heartfelt angst and anger towards the president from some civil liberties groups. it is a very difficult time for civil libertarians. they find themselves at odds with the democratic leadership and the president. the irony is that the only guy
1:48 pm
out there talking about civil liberties and anti-war issues is ron paul. so it is a very different situation for civil libertarians. quite frankly, many have already said they cannot support the president. he started out rather badly as president by going to the cia and telling employees that they would not be be prosecuted for torture. which violated treaties that we had signed as a nation. and it went from bad to worse after that moment for civil libertarians. >> outside of ron paul though, why do you think most democrats, both in the house and the senate, support this measure? >> well, you know, unfortunately, you've seen it. it is -- there is really very few advocates when it comes down to specific bills for privacy and constitutional issues. those tend to be abstractions, and nobody wants to be left to the -- left of an issue like terrorism. so it is a non-starter with
1:49 pm
these politicians. what's fascinating is that we had a series of polls that showed that american citizens are now more afraid of their own government and the power it has than they are outside groups. and yet there's this disconnect between the voting public and their leaders. they seem to have no impant on these politicians because the politicians do not want to be accused of soft on terror so they're rolling back civil liberties. they're increasing surveillance. even when the majority of american citizens don't want that. >> how will you gauge civil liberty group support of mr. obama now? >> well, it could not be lower and the anger is so intense. many of them are going to stay at home or they'll vote for ron paul or they'll vote for someone else, but it is going to be a very hard task for the white house to get that cat to walk backwards. he has gone too far and part of this i think was a cynical move by the white house that civil
1:50 pm
libertarians have nowhere else to go. look, i have to tell you, we are used to be the bridesmaid and never the bride at a wedding. everyone always promises to be everyone always promises to be faithful to civil liberties and they rarely are. but president obama has gone so far, it's going to be hard for him to get those votes back. >> happy holidays. >> happy holidays to you. imagine sitting on a park bench minding your own business, police surround, you frisk, you, demand to know what you're doing and then leave. we'll hear from a man that this happened to, next. [ terri ] my husband, hank, was always fun.
1:51 pm
never took life too seriously. 'til our son was born... that day, he bought life insurance. now, there's no way i could send our boy to college without it. if there was one thing i could say to hank, it'd be "thank you." you're welcome. hey, hank. [ male announcer ] life insurance you can use while you're still living. you are one lucky lady. mm-hmm. [ male announcer ] learn more from your state farm agent today.
1:52 pm
1:53 pm
imagine this, if you can. you walk out of your home, take a couple steps, and suddenly you're surrounded by the police. they take your keys and search your home. that's happened more than once to a college student, nicholas. he wrote about it. one incident occurred on his 18th birthday and we quote him here. we were talking, watching the night go by, enjoying the evening when suddenly out of
1:54 pm
nowhere, squad cars surrounded us. a policeman yelled get on the ground. i was stunned and scared and i was on the ground with a gun pointed at me. he says when the cops looked at his i.d., the cops said happy birthday and they left. we asked the new york police for a comment. they said, quote, police stops save lives and are proportional to reported crime in new york city. joining with his attorney is nicholas. thank you for coming on the show. i know that you were also stopped a few months ago. can you tell us what happened at that time? >> thank you for having me on this show. what happened last time was, you know, the cops had took my keys and entered my building and this happens to many of my friends it's absurd and unjust and we need change. >> why do you think, nicholas, be that you've been stopped so many times? do you have any idea?
1:55 pm
>> we know that stop and frisk is policy for the new york city and i believe 84% stop their frisk and we just need change. we shouldn't be stopped and frisked for going to the store, going to the gym, just living our lives as citizens. >> and you wrote in your op ed thinking that new york police officers were cool and now you feel alienated and you've even changed your lifestyle. how have you changed your lifestyle to try and avoid these situations? >> well, me along with my friends, we know -- we kind of have a feel that when a cops will come after us.
1:56 pm
if we dress a certain way. we know that we'll more likely be frisked if we go outside at a certain time at night. >> i know that he's involved in a class-action lawsuit against the new york police department that alleges that police are violating constitutional rights by stopping people. nicholas is a witness, not a plaintiff. what can you tell us about this case and your reaction to what he says he's been through? >> i think his experience is similar to thousands of people in new york city. it's quite a shame that they have made a name for itself rather than protecting and serving the community. the lawsuit, it's a class action lawsuit called floyd versus the city of new york.
1:57 pm
we really want them to be accountable for what has happened throughout the city. >> nicholas, i know that you're finishing up community college and then you'll work on your b.a. after you take some time off. right now where this stands, being involved and taking action, are you starting to feel a little bit more emboldened, empowered, when you think about going outside, just going about your daily business, that you're speaking out and doing something? >>. >> yes, i definitely feel empowered just by breaking the constitutional rights. this is my way going about change and just bringing it -- national attention to something that is just unjust and absurd. >> we appreciate both of you for coming on with us. thank you both and happy holidays to you. >> thank you. >> all right.
1:58 pm
and thank you for joining us. i'm natalie allen. cnn "newsroom" continues in a moment with brooke baldwin. stay right there. i can't keep a secret, so i'm doing christmas last minute... well, this necklace is awesome. honey, you're getting a necklace! see what i mean? i'll surprise you. please. [ male announcer ] the only place to go for last-minute christmas gifts. walmart.
1:59 pm
2:00 pm
and here we go. happy friday. happy holidays to you. i'm brooke baldwin. let's get you caught up on everything making news. beginning with this. the deal, it is done. president obama signing the payroll tax cut extension in just a short time ago braced both republicans and democrats for their work. >> because of this agreement, every working american will keep his tax cut about $1,000 for a typical family. and that translates into an extra $40 or so with every paycheck. >> yes, in case you hadn't heard, there's a deal. but, remember, today's approval of a two-month extension means a battle over the payroll tax cut begins in the new year. how this impacts republican john
2:01 pm
boehner. >> now, this is tough to look at. this is the aftermath of two suicide car bombings in the capital of damascus. more than 30 people were killed according to two rebel groups. cnn cannot confirm this report syria believes it was terrorists. opposition groups say it's the assad regime. look at this. much of alabama, look at that car, totally upside down. alabama, georgia, fierce winds damaged several homes and businesses near atlanta. damage was also reported in several areas across alabama and thousands of households also lost power and a series of
2:02 pm
earthquakes in new skblee land. today's earthquake near christchurch sent people ducking for cover. the government says at least two people were injured. it was a 6.2 magnitude quake back in february that killed 180 people. no wonder people are a bit jum pea because of that. libyans, thousands unaccounted for. weapons are causing a huge concern for the u.s. and the u.s. is now talking with the libyan government to buy and the state department will not get into the details. western officials worry that the heat seeking missiles could get into the hands of the terrorists. >> and this is the kind of lab that no school wants to see. police say meth was being made at a school.
2:03 pm
it was a one-pot operation found in a room not accessible to students but parents say, that doesn't matter. they are upset that no one from the school told them about this. the police chief says no one was ever in any danger. >> i have kids that go to that school as well and i'm always thinking about their safety because of the fact that this was taken to a safe area, there was no one to be notified. the retailer is canceling many online orders days before christmas. best buy says it has run out of some of the hottest products because of, you guess it overwhelming demand. a lot of shopper are not happy about this. >> in this situation now, it's sort of stuck. just sort of stuck.
2:04 pm
and i'm not purchasing there anymore. >> he a a successful rendezvous. the international space station on board. three cry members, including american astronaut don petit. pretty pictures. thank you, nasa. we have a lot to cover in the next two hours. watch this. in just one week, two very different images of the most powerful republican in congress. on tuesday, this scene. and then just a couple days later, this scene. speaker boehner goes solo. so as the dust settles over this whole payroll cut in washington, where is everyone standing right now? i'm brooke baldwin. the news is now. for months it's been the government protesters.
2:05 pm
this blood shed looks like it might be the work of al qaeda. they paid the ultimate price. serving america. >> just remember what our guys are fighting overseas for. >> but there's new pain for the families of fallen soldiers involving nearly 65,000 graves at arlington. plus, he's the front man for journey. >> always fight. fight. >> now it's not just music he's fighting for. it's his people. hundreds reported missing in the philippines after a devastating storm. we are there and i'm in touch with him. also, warning women, get your breast implants removed before it's too late. find out why and the dangers they could be facing. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation,
2:06 pm
so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates.
2:07 pm
see? he's taking his vitamins. new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups.
2:08 pm
now we go to washington where congress finally passed and president obama just a short time ago signed a two-month extension of that payroll tax cut ending this ugly standoff between republicans and democrats and really republicans and republicans as well. here is the president speaking moments ago. >> i said it was critical for congress not to go home without preventing a tax increase on 160 million working americans and i'm pleased to say that they've got it done. so i want to thank all of the members of congress for ending the stalemate and making this happen. >> let's go to white house correspondent jessica yellin.
2:09 pm
why the delay? >> reporter: that was even later than they usually are here. we are in the press room waiting and we finally heard the helicopter land on the south lawn ready to take him to hawaii and he wasn't out. he and the white house are waiting for the bill to arrive. had to get finalized and driven up from capitol hill to he co-sign it and he wanted to sign it before he came out to tell everyone that it's signed, it's done, and then take off so that was the reason that we were all waiting, brooke. >> he said, look, this isn't over. we need to urge congress to keep working without drama, without delay to extend the tax cut and unemployment insurance through 2012. what were your take aways through listening to him today? >> he was somewhat critical of congress than he has been.
2:10 pm
and it was a do nothing congress. so he was a little less harsh. he can afford to be gracious at this moment. the big things i heard were when he said, there was an echo from the 2008 campaign, american people who can bring change to washington when you raise your voice, you can raise the nation and the world. so i think i heard echos of that and you heard him say that it was a make or break cast and it's part of this theme where he has been positioning himself as a warrior for the working class,
2:11 pm
if you will, that's the phrase that he has used, and it's a perfect piece with this payroll tax cut fight that he's been in and his whole message is leading into this fight that he's going to face in the election year, that he champions the working class and will argue whoever his republican opponent is will position him in the election year. >> and there's a lot more work to do. he's now off to hawaii. jessica yellin, thank you so much. if lawmakers had any chance of getting out of washington in time for this weekend, in time for christmas, someone had to blink and someone did. aand when house speaker boehner stepped out after a press conference with democrats, he was all alone. >> good evening, everyone. senator reid and i have reached
2:12 pm
an agreement on behalf of the american people. key parts of this agreement are that on january 1st -- >> okay. the house republicans who vowed they would fight to the very end after today's vote, here's what they said on cnn. >> i'm disappointed in our entire leadership team. we have not cut spending we didn't force the president to the table when it came time to give him $2 trillion of spending authority. our borrowing authority. we didn't pass the budget balanced amendment. and we have yet to deliver them. >> i want to bring in kate bolduan on capitol hill. i imagine she's one of the few remaining there. now that this is sort of going away for a little while, what should we expect come end of next february? should the republican leadership
2:13 pm
be scared? >> meaning going away for a while. and i can assure you, it will continue into january. here's why. it's something we have been hearing from the freshman class since they were elected. you were talking to jessica about campaign themes. they say it's a campaign promise that they are trying to make good on. this freshman republican class say they were elected to change how washington works. that includes not kicking the can down the road and dealing with the tough problems later. that's why they say they are not opposed to a two-month extension. it's an opposing force to what actually needed to happen here.
2:14 pm
and that's why many say house speaker john boehner was in such a tough spot. last weekend he tried to sell the senate deal saying, take this deal because he can see the split wall reality of being on an island of their own. and he faced revolt and that's when we saw them digging in and the criticism was just too much. he said on a conference call last night, this is what we're going to do. and that was it. no questions. he even presided over -- he was in the chair this morning during the vote. i almost think it's to make sure that no one was walking out on the floor to make that objection
2:15 pm
that everyone was so concerned about. >> kate, interesting. we'll finish off with this conversation. kate bolduan, thank you. we should point out, you know this, one of the busiest days for travel. 30% of you watching are expected to hop on the roads, hit the rails, take the to the skies this holiday weekend. coming up, we'll talk about strong winds and heavy snow in some areas and get you the latest for skid row. we're going to take you live to skid row. [ boy ] looks like our work is done here. i'm heading home. vaaa vrooom! need some help, ma'am? grrrrrrr! [ in high voice ] oh thank you. these things are heavy. zzzzzzzz!
2:16 pm
[ male announcer ] built for work. and everything you work for. hey, honey. i'm glad you're home. [ male announcer ] the chevy silverado. our most powerful hd yet. from fathers to sons, [ boy ] dad! [ male announcer ] chevy runs deep. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals.
2:17 pm
2:18 pm
♪ yeah. this is something we don't often see. this is the floor of the new york stock exchange. traders cueing up, singing the song "wait until the sunshines, nelly." apparently this was written in 1905 and has become the unofficial anthem of the new york stock exchange that happened around 1934, right around the great depression there you go. good thing it's not me singing and it's them. moving along. skid row. it's home to thousands of
2:19 pm
destitute. casey wian is there. have you seen the big man there, santa claus? >> we have not seen santa yet but we have seen people that are volunteering their time. we have hundreds of people here today. it's a quite interesting mix of people. they are getting ready to serve this food. people on this side of the line dishing the food out. volunteers on the other side of the line that are going to take the food out to the needy families. they are expecting to serve at least 4,000 meals. some of the families have been camping out on a very chilly night last night and it brings
2:20 pm
together what brings you here? >> this is an exciting time for me and people all around the country but there are people that are hurting. with the early prison release program in california, increased numbers on the streets. obviously the challenge of the economy is great. so we're right now it makes my christmas better to be here. they don't take government money. it's all voluntary. >> i don't know if you're a fan of the twilight movies. but booboo stewart is here. what does it mean to you to do
2:21 pm
this? >> it means a lot. i've been doing it for five years. you go home and it feels like you've accomplished something. >> reporter: well, i am sure that they are grateful for the effort. you can see the crowds back there. santa claus will be making an appearance later today. he will be giving toys out to a thousand needy children. we spoke to one of those children who spent the night here waiting for that opportunity. here's what he had to say. >> happiness and joyness because i know some people at least care about us. i know that we don't have things that they don't so we donate them. >> >> has it been tough for you? >> yes. >> reporter: what has it been? >> really sad.
2:22 pm
whenever i want something, they can't buy it because they don't have money. >> so do you think this will make it more marier for you? >> yes. >> as soon as you see santa, i would love to see the kids' faces. of course, just wonderful, all of those volunteers doing an amazing service in los angeles. it looks like a pretty day in los angeles. chad myers, people in other parts of the kourmt trcountry ag a white christmas, yes? >> not as many as you would hope santa is putting the skateboards on the bottom of his sleds. he's going to be roller blading.
2:23 pm
>> new mexico is bad. people are trying to go up and down i-25 and i-10. they are both closed. you do need to watch and el paso. that's the northern border right there of mexico. it should be warm there. >> they should get rain but they are getting snow. >> yes. it allowed the cold air to get sucked down to el paso let's go forward a couple of days for your monday travel home. it's going to be raining across the deep south. the only area that we'll have a
2:24 pm
white christmas, this is going to be a wet christmas rather than a white christmas. 102 across parts of ontario, quebec, we should be in a great shape. and the planes are not that big. don't worry about missing your departure. >> knocking on this glass desk that it doesn't get too bad for people traveling. chad myers. thank you. >> you're welcome. >> some media in syria are describing two suicide car bombs that killed at least 30 people
2:25 pm
there. we're talking about an act of terrorism in syria. we have a live report for you straight ahead. plus, a little later in the show, this devastation here says the philippines has many rushing to help. that story is coming up. with roc®retinol and antioxidants. lines, wrinkles, and sun damage will fade. roc multi-correxion. correct what ages you. nice, huh? yeah. you know what else is nice is all the savings you can get on cruze and traverse over there. oh! that's my beard. [ chuckles ] it's amazing. ♪ [ male announcer ] this holiday, chevy's giving more. now very well qualified lessees can sign and drive a 2012 cruze ls for around $199 a month. ♪
2:26 pm
you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at three in the morning. who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing, jake from state farm? [ jake ] uh... khakis. she sounds hideous. well she's a guy, so... [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. ♪ lord of the carry-on. sovereign of the security line. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle.
2:27 pm
and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i deserve this. [ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. go national. go like a pro. yeah, i toog nyguil bud i'm stild stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't un-stuff your nose. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your stuffy nose. [ deep breath ] thank you! that's the cold truth! the aftermath here is unlike anything we have seen before. this comes after two car bombings are in damascus. there are reports that the
2:28 pm
country's own leader, bashar al assad is to blame for this. we've heard that more than 30 civilians were killed and, b, did the two car bombings happen at the same time? >> reporter: brooke, what is interesting, the government claimed that a number of military and civilian personnel were killed in these blasts but they did not provide a number of those wounded and those killed. they also didn't provide a lot of details beyond the fact that they have been targeting these intelligence buildings in damascus and saying that they were the hallmark of an attack. the government seems to be why a lot of groups really question the voracity of the claims right
2:29 pm
now, brooke. >> it's important to explain who it is you're sourcing. and. >> brooke, we are hearing from the syrians, basically from what they put out earlier. they believe that it is al qaeda, car bombs, an attack in damascus. there are a number of civilians that were killed. opposition groups are saying that for months now they have been saying that they have to fight terrorism in syria and that's one reason they use to justify the crackdown that's been going on. rights activists, pro democracy activists say it's really convenient to say this is al
2:30 pm
qaeda. the opposition figures worry that assad will now try to blame at a time when the country is verging on civil war. brooke? >> we know that if they have been to the bombings, what are they saying? >> reporter: they are showing the members of the arab league team going to the bomb site. we spoke to a member of the arab league team and they are going to go into syria based on a protocol that they signed with the government to try to observe, put an end to the violence that has been going on.
2:31 pm
and there are protests going on and they don't believe there is enough to call on the bloodshed and step up efforts. brooke? >> speaking to us from cairo and staying in egypt, mohammed, thank you. you can hear noises behind him. he's not far from tahrir square. ism imagines of military police has outraged egyptians there and military leaders say that they regret to women over what happened. they will punish those behind it. away from the demonstrations and right now there are possible
2:32 pm
problems with nearly 65,000 graves. right there. that's a quarter of the people and they are just trying to fix them. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families.
2:33 pm
from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa.
2:34 pm
massive mismanagement and mistakes at arlington national
2:35 pm
cemetery may be more widespread than previously thought. the washington post is reporting potential problems with nearly 65,000 military gravesites. that's one quarter of all of the graves there. christian is joining me live from washington. we've talked about the discovery of the miss marked graves, and now what potentially are we talking about here? >> they all led to a report that came out yesterday and it was mandated by congress in the wake of the problems that you just were talking about. dozens of mismarked graves, incidents where they found people buried in the wrong spots, erns have been dugged up in a burn pile.
2:36 pm
and for the past year, it's a very difficult process and the potential problems that they flagged. >> like what? >> we don't know yet. they say that these cases need further review. they can be as minor as a typographical error in a piece of paperwork associated with that gravesite or the scenario of somebody buried in the wrong spot the cemetery hasn't ruled that out yet. they said they need another six months. >> will all of these questions really be answered? >> it's possible that, no. in the report the cemetery says that they could go through and reconcile all of the paperwork
2:37 pm
that they have and there could still be problems that we don't know about. and there was a case last year and the cemetery said the paperwork checks out. she wasn't convinced, and in the end they found out that there were three people in the wrong spot. >> so the paperwork will really only tell you so much. >> to arlington's credit, that review by the gao found reason to be optimistic, from your reporting, i guess my question would be, do you agree with senator mccaskill is now and has the potential to be a turn around story? >> the people now running the cemetery, the army got rid of the old leadership, brought in new leadership, the superintendent of the cemetery has decades of speexperience.
2:38 pm
they have 131 and they've implemented places that are supposed to safeguard and designed to prevent against these kinds of problems have happening and they've received praise from members of congress in the gao and the effort that they are undertaking right now is really ambitious, a very difficult one, as you said, because it goes back to the civil war. so we're dealing with ancient, ancient records. >> final question for people watching. if they have a loved one buried at arlington and they are worried about their loved one, what advice do you have? >> well, the cemetery is fielding those calls. they take those calls. they go into a database, they track them they have a new website to field the calls and when props come up, they say that they will deal with the families quickly and transparently and do everything that they can to fix it.
2:39 pm
>> christian daveenport, washington post, thank you. >> what if there is something wrong with my baby? no mother or child should ever have to go through that. >> when she is not acting or dancing or singing or judging on "american idol," jennifer lopez is giving back. find out how she's making a difference in the lives of kids in need. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years.
2:40 pm
you can put a force field on him and be invisible! [ child 2 ] i call first player. no. i already called it. [ dad ] nobody's playing anything until after we get our homework done. thank you. hello? test drive's not over yet. [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. [ louder ] hello? but we still need your signature. right now during sign then drive, it's never been easier to get the all-new passat, the 2012 motor trend car of the year, for practically just your signature. that's the power of german engineering. visit vwdealer.com.
2:41 pm
2:42 pm
tomorrow cnn will bring you our christmas special. we call it big stars, big giving. one of the stars featured is jennifer lopez. >> reporter: she's hollywood triple threat. she since, dances, acts. >> you did not just poke me. >> reporter: and now she's a judge on "american idol." >> you're going to hollywood.
2:43 pm
>> you're a singer, you're a dancer, you're a judge on "american idol." >> i'm tired. >> how do you do it all? >> i don't know. one day at a time. ♪ one step at a time >> the theme song of her life and also the maribel foundation, a nonprofit lopez started with her sister linda in 2008. it was a health scar with her newborn daughter emmy that prompted her to act. >> she had this lump on her head all of a sudden and it was kind of soft and felt like water a little bit. >> what did you think in. >> i didn't know what it was and i showed it to mark and i'm like, this baby, if emmy's not okay, i'm not going to be okay. we called the doctor in the middle of the night. we had access to the best health care. we had all this privilege and i realized that when i went home and i was lying there like at 4:00 in the morning, i was like,
2:44 pm
what if i didn't have that? what if the mom just sitting there, something wrong with my baby, no mother or child should ever have to go through that. luckily for us it turned out okay. >> so lopez went to the world reknown hospital in los angeles and asked, how can i help? >> there is a very new program. it's called tele medicine. it's a technology where doctors anywhere from the world can talk to each other. >> from video conferencing. opened this year in pouerto ric, panama is next. >> aren't you cute. that's the great part of the position that i'm in, we can make a difference and really,
2:45 pm
really help people. the same dreamer in me that wanted to sing and dance and do all that is the same dreamer in me that wants to do something amazing for the world. >> and make sure you watch cnn's giving and focus special that airs 4:30 p.m. christmastime, day hosted by tom foreman. congress approved and we saw president obama signing that two-month payroll tax extension. it's an official deal. he's off to hawaii. wolf blitzer is here with our 2012 politics update. >> probably a fight at the end of february because they now have to work out a deal that will allow this tax cut to continue working for the rest of
2:46 pm
the year. they will do it as it always seems to do. it's not just the 160 million americans that will pay less taxes to the government. there's going to be unemployment benefits that will continue for the next two months for nearly three million americans. also, a lot of doctors who work with medicare patients. they will be rei am brsed at the full amount that they are supposed to be reimbursed. you can see the president signing it into law. the legislation that whisked through the house and the senate. it became the law of the land and the political fallout will have time to digest that in the month and weeks to come.
2:47 pm
>> i'm going to be in iowa next week. did you see the tweet i sent out earlier, brooke? >> no, i did not. >> you don't follow me on twitter? >> i follow you. i can't follow every single tweet. >> wolfblitzer@cnn. i follow all of yufr tweets. i check them out obviously what you're saying is you don't read all of my tweets. >> i tweet live, i'm all over it. wolf, there's your twitter page. >> at 5:00 p.m. we're going to reair our six days in north korea documentary. i was there exactly one year
2:48 pm
ago. with the death of kim jong-il, we decided it's a good time to take a look at what is going on in pyonyang. did you see it a year ago when we aired it? >> i did not. >> you can't lie. >> you're such an honest human being. >> i can't help it. >> what are you doing at 5:00 today? >> watching this documentary. >> obviously. if you read my tweet you would also know where i'm going to be next tuesday and wednesday. do you know where i'm going to be next tuesday and wednesday? >> iowa? just a guess. >> correct. >> yes! >> tuesday i'll be anchoring from iowa, wednesday from iowa, newt gingrich will be with me. it's a good time to go to iowa and then i'm going to go to the cnn center. see you in atlanta. we're going to anchor our coverage. have you seen the new studio that we established? >> i'm sitting in the studio. i'm sitting in the studio and
2:49 pm
our viewers have not seen that it's trans fompling into an election. >> we're going to spend a lot of time here at the cnn election center. it took until june last time. you've got to start following me on twitter. >> wolf, if you bump me at my tease in the next hour, merry christmas and happy new year. >> i would never bump you. i love you. bye-bye. >> the news comes first. >> bye-bye. we'll be right back. [ woman ] ♪ what i want this season ♪ if you'd like to try and guess ♪ ♪ it is something very special
2:50 pm
♪ i would readily confess [ dogs barking ] ♪ 'cause all i want this season ♪ ♪ is something from your heart ♪ la da da, la da da [ male announcer ] thinking of others this holiday season, travelers. it's like having portable navigation. a bluetooth connection. a stolen vehicle locator. roadside assistance. and something that could help save your life - automatic help in a crash. it's the technology of five devices in one hard-working mirror. because life happens while you drive. this holiday, give someone you love an onstar fmv mirror for only 199. visit onstar.com for retailers. see? he's taking his vitamins. new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups.
2:51 pm
2:52 pm
i want to turn our attention now to a story that we've certainly covered here on cnn. the surging death toll from a tropical storm in the philippines. i want to tell you how a rock star is lending a helping hand. for this we go to the philippines where human tragedy is unfolding. what you see here was once a village. floods reduced to mud. the philippines government confirms there is more than 1,000 people dead. listen to this. another 1,000 as of today are missing. so the death toll, it could
2:53 pm
double and double very quickly. when i first saw the pictures coming out to the philippines, i turned to a nontraditional source. the new lead singer of journey. tweeting from manilla, one of the tweets is, he tweeted me back and i retweeted him. hi, brooke. you can help him help the victims and i'll retweet that if you would like to help arnell. if you don't know his story, it's pretty amazing. he can absolutely relate to these people not living with much. it's a rags to riching story. i met him earlier this year when they profiled journey on a series. i want to show you how they found him. consider what he's been through and what he's doing now for his career and for his country. >> i didn't want to go through
2:54 pm
the old process of, you know, auditioning so i went to youtube and i know what is on there is real and there's no doctoring it. you hear talent in somebody, it's going to stand out to you. when i heard our songs, i contacted john and i said, check this out. he did "open arms" and he did faithfully and i'm like, this is incredible that he sounds this good. ♪ >> i was living in the street for more than a year. when i was like 15. sometimes begging for food, sometimes you have to sleep in a
2:55 pm
small chair overnight. but i got through it, you know, because i kept -- i kept my faith. i kept my belief and i always put in hi heart what my mom told me. always fight. fight. fight. believe. and move on. never look back because it's just going to stall you. you know, just move on, you know. i went on and i'm hearing -- >> he said don't stop believing. extra special for him as we mentioned arnel in the philippines helping with relief efforts there. >> and if you're a tech geek, if you're buying last-minute gifts for a tech lover in your life, stick around and there are must-have products for the season. we'll be right back. [ female announcer ] try pantene nature fusion shampoo.
2:56 pm
its pro-v formula captures the potential of cassia to make weak, brittle hair up to 10x stronger. and now it comes in pantene's new bottle. made from up to 59% plant-based material. ♪ healthier hair... healthier planet. one small step at a time. [ female announcer ] nature fusion from pantene. hair so healthy it shines. nyquil tylenol: we are?ylenol. you know we're kinda like twins. [ female announcer ] nature fusion from pantene. nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.
2:57 pm
2:58 pm
you all asked me on twitter, have i finished my christmas shopping? you can get the hottest gifts of the season. >> these are multijuice packs. we always say we run out of juice and battery. the solution to that, they go
2:59 pm
from $35.95. >> what does this mean? >> this puts more of a reserve. put it on your key chain. this is one that i can't possible to set and it clasps entirely together and what is awesome about that, it slides right ou, works ought of bluetogether and the base, you can move it around. >> i'm not so gentle. that's fabulous. >> exactly. >> scull candy -- >> so when

139 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on